


Recovery

by opalustre



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Mentions of self-harm, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 23:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20016529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opalustre/pseuds/opalustre
Summary: a lil bit of writing i did for day 3: caught in the act of yoosungweek a while ago!honestly its less Caught In The Act-y simply because i wanted to be mindful not to depict any explicitly damaging behaviors! i wanted to explore a lil bit of yoosungs depression (in addition to mcs) which i feel like many people largely ignore hhhhh but id probably have to write Another fic to even feel like i did him justice in that respect. anyways! i hope at least someone finds this nice 2 read ;0;





	Recovery

When Yoosung first found out, he hadn’t been entirely sure what to say. He was also a little confused; whenever you appeared in the chatroom, you always had your bright energy and genuine kindness in tow! He paused for a moment.

Then again, so did he.

But that didn’t dissipate his confusion; why would you would hurt yourself?

—

You had been dating each other for merely a few weeks now, but nobody could deny that you and Yoosung were head over heels in love and devoted to one another. Following the first RFA party since becoming the coordinator, you dedicated much of your free time to help with Yoosung’s recovery from his eye injury; you would drop him sweet texts every so often out of the blue and snap him pictures of you blowing kisses, hoping to lift his spirits. He had moped a little bit after being released from the hospital. It was obvious he was trying to stay cheerful, the following days filled with his playful whines lamenting how he wished he could see you with both of his eyes. But you knew behind his adorable pout, Yoosung was a little heartbroken.

He would have gone to Mint Eye and done the same thing a thousand times over, there was no question about that; however, he couldn’t ignore the guilt he felt whenever you looked at him with worry in your eyes, as if afraid he would disappear back to that ominous building, this time not returning. Try as he might to hide this from you, he knew you could see right through his worries whenever you shushed him and held him close. He loved you all the more for it, of course.

Yoosung discovered your habit of sleeping without pants one night, about a month after the party. You were finally spending the night with him, excited chatter exchanged between the two of you about what movies you should watch together and whether 11 PM was too late to order takeout.

He didn’t really register what it meant when you sought out the largest t-shirt he owned, making a bigger mess of his already unorganized drawers. Finally, you settled on an old shirt with a poorly rendered image of a dog on it, something he had been given after donating to his local pet adoption center. He debated whether he should find the matching cat one but was snapped out of his thoughts when you reappeared from the bathroom; he had to fight the flush rising to his cheeks at the sight of you tugging absentmindedly at the hem, almost missing your question about where the popcorn was.

He moved over to hug you then, unable to help it, and he sighed happily at your immediate return of his embrace. You quipped at him about the snacks, and he dutifully marched to the kitchen, gathering the appropriate junk foods while you set up your laptop. When he returned, you had settled comfortably into his bed, laptop in place and the beginning credits of the movie paused on the screen. He gave you a fond smile and hopped onto the bed into your open arms, placing the popcorn on the nightstand. He was too nervous to kiss you yet, though. He had to work up to that.

You started the movie and settled into Yoosung’s fluffy comforter, snickering a bit at his complaint that you were cuddling with your boyfriend’s blankets more than your actual boyfriend. After a bit, you found yourself dozing off, Yoosung’s soft hands rubbing up and down your arms, soothing you into a near-sleep. You nuzzled into his chest, your legs thrown over his hips. Before you knew it, his movements had travelled downward and the rubbing caused the shirt to lift slightly.

Yoosung noticed the sudden stiffening of your posture, your body tensing up in his arms. What could cause such a shift in reaction?

He soon found his answer. The tips of his fingers were met with raised lines of scar tissue, the ridges a jarring contrast interrupting the otherwise smooth skin of your hips and thighs.

“MC…” Yoosung moved to sit up but found it difficult as you wouldn’t move.

“It’s fine,” you mumbled, face still buried in his chest.

Yoosung’s heart ached for you. He didn’t want to press and make you uncomfortable, but he didn’t want you to feel like he didn’t care, either. This was the first time since the bomb at Rika’s apartment that he had felt this worried about your safety. He had made sure to protect you then, and he wanted to be able to do the same now. Even if that meant protecting you from yourself.

He shifted to pause the now-forgotten movie, and you buried further into the blankets, hoping he would drop the subject. You peeked out at Yoosung as he turned around to face you, a small breath released from his throat. You avoided his gaze, and he frowned.

“MC, if you really don’t want to talk about it, I understand. But…” he trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

You feigned preoccupation as you played with the bedsheets, bunching them up just to smooth them down again. “There’s not a lot to say,” you mumbled, palms feeling clammy. After a particularly long stretch of silence, Yoosung tensed up, anxious if he should hold you close or give you distance. “It happened, and it’s done now. And I’m sorry, Yoosung, please don’t worry about it.” you finished quietly, closing your eyes for a few moments.

Yoosung shook his head imperceptibly, sad eyes flicking to your thigh before settling back on your dejected face. “Some of those look fairly recent, MC.” He tried to blink back his tears. How could he not have known? Where was he when you had needed his help?

“It’s not a big deal, I-” You paused and sighed, rolling to look up at the ceiling. Avoiding his gaze, afraid of his judgement, or maybe afraid of seeing disgust on in those normally caring eyes.

However, a sniffle and a hiccup made you turn to Yoosung in alarm, the sight of tears now rolling down his cheeks prompting you to sit up and move closer to him. “Why are you crying, Yoosung?” Your voice lilted higher in panic; you took his hand in yours, distressed.

Yoosung didn’t understand. He couldn’t fathom any reason for you to be hurt, let alone find a reason to hurt yourself. How long had you felt this way? He let out a choked sob, unable to stand the thought of you suffering. Gently, he squeezed your hands and pressed them to his cheeks. He looked at you with wet eyes, a glimmer attributed not to his tears but instead to a familiar spark of determination in them as he spoke his next words.

“MC, you deserve love and kindness. I… The next time you feel this way, I want you to talk to me. Please, MC. Promise me. I can’t stand the thought of-” He broke off with another meek sniffle, looking down at your trembling hands.

“I’ll try, Yoosung.” you whispered, resting your head on his shoulder.

“That’s all I ask, MC. I want to be there for you,” he murmured back, trying to slow his breaths. He didn’t want to cry, he wanted to be strong for you. To protect you like he wished he could have. Even if some of the scars had appeared years before you had walked into his life, he wanted to be the one to help them heal and fade a little bit in the future. He couldn’t make them disappear, and he couldn’t change the past, but he promised both himself and you that he would do whatever it took to ensure you didn’t feel like you’d have to do it again. And suddenly, he realized that meant guiding you in a way that made you believe in your own worth. To surround you with love so genuine you couldn’t help but let it seep into your heart and allow you to feel it for yourself.

“You are so strong, MC. I love you, you are worth so much in this world. So much to me. And you deserve to believe it too, MC.”

“I… I want to try and believe that, Yoosung. I really do,” your voice trailed off with quiet trepidation. He opened his mouth to speak, but you cut him off. “I will, I promise. Try, that is. But on one condition-” Yoosung sucked in a breath, wondering what cost would have to be paid for an act he now realized would be extremely difficult for you. You gave him a reassuring smile. “Yoosung, I want you to be honest with me, too. I want you to tell me when you’re hurting, too.”

He blinked, tilting his head to look at you. “What do you mean?”

“Rika.” You paused at the name, gauging his reaction. “Mint Eye. School. I know that LOLOL is good, it’s fun, it brings you together with friends. But Yoosung, don’t you think… sometimes you use it to escape the pain you’re dealing with? Here?” You pressed your palm to his heart.

He looked into your clear eyes. The ache in his chest that he usually ignored and hadn’t felt in a while throbbed, a silent reminder. There you went again. His sweet MC always thinking about his well being before your own.

“I promise, MC.” he said fervently, heart warming at the sight of your smile.

He pulled you into his arms then, and you let out a giggle as he snuggled you into the bed. He fluttered kisses onto your skin, everywhere he could reach. He laced his fingers with yours, slowly bringing your hands to your hip. He was tentative when he kissed the fingers of his other hand before pressing them to the scars, but your soft breath and bittersweet smile let him know that it was okay.

The light of the screen dimmed, long forgotten as you murmured to each other soft _I love you’s_ before slipping into a comfortable silence that led to sleep.

—

Yoosung understand a little better now. Even though it was painful to think about, he could connect with the blame and self-doubt that sometimes threatened to swallow you. It was also different, now, though, as you both tried to open up and be comfortable with the idea of relying on support, on accepting tender hearted words of care and love.

Yoosung looked over at you, typing away in the RFA chatroom, untroubled. You each had your own battles to fight, but you never had to endure the hurt alone, and when a large rush of gratitude washed over him, Yoosung couldn’t help but wrap his arms tightly around you and pull you into a firm, cozy hug. You laughed and playfully swatted his arm, accepting his kiss nonetheless, eyes shining.

“I love you, MC.”


End file.
